The Athlete's Bookstore
The Athlete's Bookstore __ _ _______________________________________ _ __
| |_| |__| |__| |_| |
__| | | | | THE ATHLETE'S BOOKSTORE BOOKNOTES | | | | |__
/ /| | | | | March 97 | | | | |\ \
/ / | | | | | | | | | | \ \
/ / | | | | | http://www.stevenscreek.com/books | | | | | \ \
/_/ |__|_|_|__|_______________________________________|__|_|_|__| \_\
IN THIS ISSUE:
--------------
o Marathon Training, by Joe Henderson
o Time-Saving Training for Multisport Athletes, by Rick Niles
o Endurance Athlete's Edge, by Marc Evans
o Pre!, by Tom Jordan
HOT OFF THE PRESS
-----------------
MARATHON TRAINING by Joe Henderson ($14.95)
There are a lot of marathon training books on the market, but Joe
Henderson proves that after all this time there's still a new
approach to the subject. Henderson, an editor and columnist for
Runner's World magazine, writes as well as he does in his many
other books, such as last year's popular BETTER RUNS.
As a 15-week training plan, Henderson's program is unique in that
it doesn't try to mandate exact daily training. Instead, for each
week, he lays out the key workouts for the week, in categories like
"big day," "fast day," "other training days," "rest days," etc., and
leaves it to you to fit it all together. The program laid out by
Henderson has three levels: "Cruisers," who "aim primarily to
finish"; "Pacers," who "aim for time goals," such as setting
P.R.'s, and "Racers" who "compete with other marathoners," so the
book is suitable for runners at every level.
MARATHON TRAINING is also unique in its design as a book. After you
read the page which describes your training for the upcoming week,
you read just one page a day. Each day has a long "thought for the
day," which might be something about training, or it might be a
vignette from running history intended to make you appreciate what
you're doing just a little bit more. Then there's a shorter "tip
for the day" which is just what it sounds like, a little bit of
wisdom designed to improve your running. Finally, on the facing
page, is a "logbook" where you can record a myriad of details about
your training. Personally, we think you'll be better off logging
your training with THE ATHLETE'S DIARY software, but we admit to
being biased. Whether you use the written log or not, following
Henderson's advice for 100 days is definitely an enjoyable way to
train for a marathon.
For more details about this book, including a complete Table of
Contents and quotes from reviewers, see
http://www.stevenscreek.com/books/marathontraining.html
TWO GREAT NEW TRIATHLON TRAINING BOOKS
--------------------------------------
"Scientific" methods of training for triathlons were first
explained in Mark Sisson's excellent TRAINING AND RACING BIATHLONS,
and continued in Sleamaker and Browning's SERIOUS TRAINING FOR
ENDURANCE ATHLETES. Both of these are best-sellers in our
bookstore. Two books published last month continue the tradition -
TIME-SAVING TRAINING FOR MULTISPORT ATHLETES by Rick Niles, and
ENDURANCE ATHLETE'S EDGE by Marc Evans. Both are superb books for
the triathlete.
TIME-SAVING TRAINING FOR MULTISPORT ATHLETES by Rick Niles ($16.95)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
TIME-SAVING TRAINING is designed to teach you how to train more
efficiently in only five to nine hours a week. The basic philosophy
of this book is that, in order to maximize performance in minimum
time, every workout must have a purpose; every one must "count."
This philosophy is certainly not unique to Niles, but this book is
probably the best place where you can find that philosophy, and its
concrete ramifications, laid out. Niles believes in "Threshold
Training," and says that "the most profound training adaptations"
result from such training. And, acknowledging that some people may
think you don't need to train "fast" to race long distances like an
Ironman, he notes: "As you adapt to going a little longer and a
little faster in a threshold range, you also adapt to going a
little faster at lower intensity."
The book is quite comprehensive, and includes:
o Complete three-week sample workouts schedules
o Instruction on improving technique
o Quick fixes and training drills
o Two-week crash training schedule and one-week taper schedule
o Discussions of eating, weight training, bioenergetics, projecting
race times, and lots more
Niles is also very much in tune with the multisport nature of
triathlon. For example, he makes the following comment (which
practically duplicate things this reviewer has written on the net,
speaking from personal experience): "If your swimming fitness is
off, you will start your bike leg more fatigued...You will deplete
your fuel sooner on the bike, which may take extra time and will
definitely slow down your run." Niles carries this philosophy into
his training schedules. For example, he cautions against doing a
run before a swim workout, because then you won't really get the
benefit from the swim that you should be getting; better to forego
the run.
The only weakness in the book is in the sample training schedules.
Niles provides three 3-week schedules (one each for "swim
emphasis," "bike emphasis," and "run emphasis"). If you're looking
for a "complete" schedule, you may be disappointed, although I
believe the sample schedules are still quite useful. Their weakness
lies in that some of the workouts in the schedule have specific
paces and/or heart rate (not percentages) in them, without any
explanation of how to adjust the numbers for your own situation.
Furthermore, about half of the bike workouts are given assuming
that they are done on a stationary bike with a readout in watts;
triathletes who like to train on the road or who lack a watt
readout will have to figure out the equivalents themselves.
For more details about this book, including a complete Table of
Contents and quotes from reviewers, see
http://www.stevenscreek.com/books/timesaving.html
ENDURANCE ATHLETE'S EDGE by Marc Evans ($19.95)
-----------------------------------------------
Marc Evans became the first professional triathlon coach back in
1981, and his experience shows in this excellent, comprehensive
book. There are very good sections on technique, drills, and model
sets in swimming, biking, and running. The chapter on "Supplemental
Training" is the most thorough in any of the books we carry,
covering dynamic and static stretching, weight training,
calisthenics, plyometrics, and isokinetics. There are also
excellent chapters on diet and psychology.
The major thrust of the book, though, is on developing a training
program embodying training at various levels of effort, as well as
periodization. Evans actually has you lay out your training and
racing schedule for an entire year, using a system which involves
extensive tables and formulas. The downside of this is that if you
actually want to follow his system, it will involve quite a bit of
work on your part. Hopefully the results will justify the work! The
system can be used to design training for triathlons ranging from
sprint to Ironman. For each distance, there is a table showing the
range of training distances per week "required" for each sport.
Like Niles, Evans acknowledges the existence of heart rate
monitors, and discusses their uses, but believes from his
experience that perceived exertion is actually a more reliable
method to gauge intensity. If you do use heart rate, Evans makes it
clear that when he uses the term "80%" he is referring to the
"Karvonen" formula (heart rate corrected for resting heart rate).
He notes that on this scale, a "0%" effort means total rest, while
on the "straight percent" scale, a 0% effort means your heart has
stopped beating :-). Most authors don't bother to specify what they
mean, and since it can make a significant difference, this is a
refreshing change.
Another nice feature of the book is that it includes extensive
tables on desired training paces for each level of exertion for
each sport. If you are going to do an "anaerobic conditioning run,"
for example, you look up your 10K time in a table (which covers a
range from 30-65 minutes), then read across to get the recommended
time for 400, 1000, 1600, or 5000 meter workouts.
Even if you don't end up laying out a year-long training schedule
based on the methods described, this book is well worth reading,
and will certainly enrich your training.
For more details about this book, including a complete Table of
Contents and quotes from reviewers, see
http://www.stevenscreek.com/books/edge.html
PRE! by Tom Jordan ($14.95)
---------------------------
For those who have been waiting for the new (Rodale) edition of
PRE! to appear, it's now off the presses and in stock.
If you have the original edition, the new edition probably isn't
worth buying unless you're a book collector or a *real* Pre fan.
The text appears on first glance to be essentially the same, with
the addition of a very short final chapter on Pre's legacy.
Interestingly, the pictures are somewhat different - different
selection, different sizes, etc., although there is considerable
overlap.
If you *don't* have the original, though, then the new edition is
definitely a worthwhile portrait of an American legend, great to
enhance your appreciation of the movie(s) and quite enjoyable by
itself as well. And we continue to recommend Kenny Moore's BEST
EFFORTS not only for its portraits of Pre, but of many other great
runners.
BOOK REVIEWS STILL WELCOME!
---------------------------
We're still in the process of setting up our Web site to accept and
display customer-written book reviews, but we still welcome any
reviews submitted by email on any of the books we carry. Instant
fame! See your name "in print"!
BEST SELLER LIST
----------------
1. Marathon!, by Jeff Galloway
2. Ultimate Guide to Marathons, by Dennis Craythorn & Rich Hanna
3. Once a Runner, by John L. Parker
4. Serious Training for Endurance Athletes, by Sleamaker & Browning
5. Hills, Hawgs, & Ho Chi Minh by Don Kardong
6. Heart Zone Training, by Sally Edwards
7. The Heart Rate Monitor Book, by Sally Edwards
Total Immersion, by Terry Laughlin
Marathon Training, by Joe Henderson
10.Beyond the Marathon, by Bob Boeder
How to Train for & Run Your Best Marathon, by Gordon Bloch
Pre!, by Tom Jordan
